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Held Together by a Spiritual Thread By Jean Jantzen God has called us to be part of something bigger than ourselves -- family -- a Church family now, then God's family at the return of Jesus Christ. Life in our Church family can prepare us for that millennial family.
t was 1980. We moved to a small town in northeastern Alberta. Bonnyville, population 4,000, was the land of lakes, aurora borealis, 40-below, picturesque, frosty, white winter mornings and summer evenings that never ended. The brethren were scattered among little farming communities. We had been in the Church 10 years. A couple of larger families, including ours, made weekly Sabbath services possible. Previously, the group met for a monthly Bible study.
Celebrating the differences Developing strong families and relationships take work and meaningful time spent together -- talking, laughing, caring, sharing, empathizing, singing, playing, helping, getting to know one another. It means putting away childish competition, jealousies, envy, criticism, strife, and instead focusing on our shared glorious goal. And in Bonnyville, it meant celebrating our differences. Learning to love each other for who we were, being accepting of others.
We grafted the young singles, the widower and the single moms into the fabric of our own families. We allowed God to stitch us together, weaving us into loving, thoughtful, beautiful tapestry He could use in His family. After our five-year sojourn in Bonnyville, we were a real Church family, having grown to love every single person within that family. What kind of family will you have?
What kind of Church family do you want? Ask yourself, when was the last time you spent time with your brother, invited him for a meal, shared in his goals, dreams and struggles? We read in 1 John 4:20-21 "If anyone says 'I love God,' but keeps on hating his brother, he is a liar; for if he doesn't love his brother who is right there in front of him, how can he love God whom he has never seen? And God himself has said that one must love not only God but his brother too" (The Living Bible). Yet familiarity can breed contempt. Unless we are on our guard, even in the Church, we tend to think knowing others well gives us the right to be critical, to make negative comments, be argumentative or make generally gruff and unfriendly remarks, just as we might to members of our own family at home.
What of the stranger who enters our midst, a new member, a babe in Christ? Might we have prejudices, discriminations, judgmental attitudes of which we are not aware? Can we accept someone different from ourselves? Do we welcome them? Or do we become jealous or bossy, like a spoiled child when a new baby arrives in the family? These patterns of behavior should be left behind when becoming an adult. How do we approach members' unconverted mates? Are they not sanctified in God's eyes too (1 Corinthians 7:14)? Remember the warning that we are not to oppress the stranger within the land. This admonition was given to the Church in the wilderness (Exodus 22:21; Matthew 25:38; Acts 7:38). They are to be loved and accepted, too, for who knows if they may not be converted by our example. Are we apt to show favoritism towards the more affluent brethren?
Christ was willing to die for His brothers. We should also be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. So let's examine ourselves on how we choose to treat those in our Church family. Woven with the spiritual thread of the Holy Spirit, we can become a righteous spiritual tapestry, pleasing to God the Father and our elder brother Jesus Christ.
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Keywords: church fellowship unity diversity
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